CHAPEL HILL - Senior forward Deon Thompson received the Most Valuable Player award and fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard became the third Tar Heel to win defensive player of the year honors three times at the 2010 UNC men's basketball awards ceremony.[details]

2010 (Senior):HEADERDEON MARSHALL THOMPSONPower ForwardUniversity of North Carolina Tar Heels#216:07.0-250Torrance, CaliforniaTorrance High School

OVERVIEWThe only returning starter from Carolina's 2009 national championship team and the Tar Heels' leading returning scorer and rebounder and the most experienced player on the squad as a senior, Thompson was named the Tar Heels' Most Valuable Player after the 2009-10 season. With Ed Davis injured, Thompson stepped up his offensive game, finishing with a career-best 13.7-point scoring average.

A member of the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden National Player of the Year Award, Thompson also played for Team USA in the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, helping that squad capture a bronze medal. He was USA's second-leading scorer (9.6 per) and rebounder (5.9) in the seven-game tournament.

The senior also broke Christian Laettner of Duke's Atlantic Coast Conference record of games played in a career, going on to set the NCAA all-time mark with 152 appearances.He would close out his career earning 2010 NIT All-Tournament honors after averaging 14.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in five games, posting double-double performances in each of his final three contests.

2009-10 SEASONThe team MVP led the squad in scoring (13.7 ppg, 507 total) and was second in rebounding (6.7 per game, 247)...Finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in field goal percentage (.484), eighth in offensive rebounding, 12th in scoring and 14th in rebounding...Scored 20 or more points six times and in double figures in 30-of-37 games...Blocked 36 shots, had 40 steals and handed out 31 assists while starting 36-of-37 games.

2008-09 SEASONStarted 37-of-38 games...Was fifth on the team in scoring with 10.6 points (401) per game and third in rebounding with 5.7 per game (216)...Scored in double figures in the first 12 games, the longest stretch of his career (previous longest stretch was four), and 22 of 38 overall (nine of the last 20 games)...Made 46 for 99 from the floor in the last 12 games (.465)...Successful on 71 of his first 117 from the floor over the first 11 games (.607)... Averaged 14.6 points over the first 12 games...Hyper-extended his knee at Virginia in February...Registered his second career double-double (first since Penn last year) when he scored 12 points and grabbed 10 boards at UC Santa Barbara.

2007-08 SEASONStarted 38-of-39 games, totaling 328 points (8.4 per game) with 187 rebounds (4.8 per game)...Led UNC in blocks with 51...Was Carolina's fifth-leading scorer...Scored in double figures 14 times with highs of 17 vs. Boston College and 16 vs. NC State and Arkansas...Scored eight or more points in 14 straight games prior to being injured on a breakaway attempt at Virginia on Feb. 12...Began the year 3-of-16 (.188) from the free throw line, but made 41 of his last 58 (.707).

2006-07 SEASONPlayed in 38 games as a true freshman, starting once...Scored 178 points (4.7 per game) and averaged 2.4 rebounds per game...Also blocked 17 shots...Made 14 of his last 19 shots from the floor over the last six games...Shot 55.8 percent from the floor...Eleven of his last 16 rebounds came on the offensive glass...Scored in double figures twice - 14 at Arizona and in the NCAA Tournament vs. Georgetown.

CAREER NOTESSet the NCAA record by playing in 152 collegiate games...Ranks 31st in school history with 1,414 points scored, 21st with 743 rebounds and tenth with 141 blocked shots...Scored in double figures 68 times.

HIGH SCHOOLAttended Torrance (Cal.) High School...Scored 30 or more points five times and had 20 or more rebounds on six occasions as a senior...Had a foot injury early in his senior season, as he played for head coach George Tachibana...Torrance Daily Breeze 2006 Player of the Year...Averaged 21.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.6 blocked shots as a senior and 19.4 points, 11.3 boards and 4.6 blocks in 2005...Senior scoring high of 36 points against Reno...Had 22 points and 22 rebounds in playoff win over South Torrance and 27 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in regional loss to Hoover...Led Torrance to California Division II-A finals in 2006 and quarterfinals in 2005...Had 28 points and 10 rebounds in upset win over No. 2 seed Paso Robles in 2006 Division II-A semifinals...Pioneer League co-MVP in 2005.

SCOUTING REPORTPositives: Has a well-built, thick frame with a long wingspan (7-foot-2 1/2), good standing reach (8-11), broad shoulders, good lower-body thickness...Talented defender who is very physical in the paint...Despite lacking great height, he does a good job of elevating above the rim to alter shots...Relishes the competition, usually rotating out to defend vs. the opposition's top frontcourt player at UNC...His success on help defense is due largely to his above-average lateral agility...If a lethargic defender gives him just the slightest room around the basket, Thompson is quick to drive to the hoop...Too strong for a defender to get him to back down in the post...Equally effective rebounder on the offensive glass as he is on the defensive side...Times his leaps well and works hard to establish position in the paint...Plays a physical low-post game; uses his strength and athleticism to dominate the boards...Does a good job of taking on contact and still finishing when working around the basket...Has a knack for gaining and maintaining position in the paint, throwing his arms around effectively to box out the opponent...Very comfortable moving around without the ball, as he is very good at hedging screens and taking his man off the dribble...Shows good body control, balance and footwork playing in the post...Has the retreat quickness to step back from the basket, hedge on screens and disrupt the pick-and-roll with his active hands...High-energy type with enough quickness to run the floor and good speed to get back on defense...Becoming more confident in using a jump hook to go with his dunking skills...Has a very good feel for establishing his position on defense, as he has the lateral movement to stay in front of his man to prevent the perimeter shooters from slashing on him, as he closes on that man in a hurry...Lacks blazing speed, but with his impeccable timing, leaping ability and reach, he is able to block shots from a variety of angles (is very good at getting off balance and still getting his hands on the ball)...Lacks any sort of outside shooting range, but can crash the boards to follow through on put backs and puts in a resounding dunk when he captures the ball and uses his second jump to elevate above the rim...Gets most of his scoring on put-backs around the offensive glass...His offensive game is otherwise limited to playing with his back to the basket, but he has more than enough leg drive to power his way to the rim working through a crowd.

Negatives: Knows he will have to make a living as a stellar defender, as his offensive game is simply not up to NBA standards and he might have already peaked...Has no range outside the paint as a jump-shooter, failing to show a quick release or high release point... Has great width and strength, but lacks the size to bang heads with NBA centers and is really nothing more than an undersized pivot man...High-energy type, but has a very inconsistent motor and except for his play under the boards, he will disappear for long stretches...Drifts to the ball too much, leaving his man open for easy shots...Must be more patient shooting, as he often rushes his attempts or pushes the ball forward on a line.

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Compares To: BEN WALLACE, Detroit: Thompson will never have much of an offensive game. Both are really undersized centers who lack touch around the basket and their over-aggressiveness sometimes negates their stellar rebounding and shot-blocking skills. Thompson has no face-the-basket skills and is a marginal free throw shooter. He will more likely be an end-of-the-bench type.